Girdle



H. BARG Sept. 9, 1969 GIRDLE Filed March 8, 1967 22 F/GZZ INVENTOR HERBERT BARG ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,465,757 GIRDLE Herbert Barg, Merion, Pa., assignor to True Form Foundations, Inc., Darby, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 621,516 Int. Cl. A41c 1/00 US. Cl. 128-535 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A girdle is provided with a ribbed friction surface at the terminal portion of the legs for frictionally engaging the welt of ladies hosiery to thereby perform the function of supporting the hosiery.

The girdle of the present invention eliminates the conventional garter straps which interlock with the welt at the upper end of ladies hosiery for supporting the hosiery. Normally, four such straps are utilized on a girdle for supporting hosiery. Instead of such straps, the terminal part of the legs of the girdle of the present invention is provided with a band of foam polymeric material having a stretch fabric backing. The foam material is preferably provided with spaced ribs each parallel to the upper and lower edges of the material. The band of material may be secured to the inner peripheral surface of the gridle legs or attached to the lower edge of the legs so as to form a continuation thereof.

The body of the girdle and an internal reinforcement panel as each preferably made from a stretch fabric having substantial stretch in a transverse direction and in a longitudinal direction. The panel is preferably longer in the rear than in the front.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel gridle.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a girdle capable of supporting hosiery without using conventional garter straps.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a girdle which has legs constructed so as to frictionally engage the welt of ladies hosiery for supporting the same.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown in the drawings forms which are presently preferred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a gridle in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 in FIGURE 1, but on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1, but on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged detail view of the structure shown in the circle designated by the numeral 4 in FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged detail view similar to FIG- URE 4 but directed to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIGURE 1 a girdle designated generally as 10. The girdle is adapted to frictionally engage the welt 12 of a ladys hosiery 14 for supporting the same without contacting the skin of the wearers legs, thereby eliminating the four conventional garter straps on girdles.

The girdle 10 includes a body comprised of a right panel 16 and a left panel 18 of stretch fabric. These panels have mating edges joined together by a line of 3,465,757 Patented Sept. 9, 1969 stitching 20 in the front and a similar line of stitching in the rear. A top band 22 of stretch fabric is stitched to the inner periphery of the body at the upper edge portion.

A reinforcement panel 24 of stretch fabric is stitched to the inner surface of the body by upper stitching 26 and lower stitching 28. Panel 24 is longer in the rear than in the front. As shown more clearly in FIGURE 1, the stitching 28 in the front of the gridle 10 is comprised of two loops having their crests higher than the ends of the loops. As shown in phantom in FIGURE 1, the stitching 28 in the rear is defined by a pair of loops wherein the crests of the loops are below the ends of the loops. The lower peripheral edge of the panel 24 conforms to the arrangement of the stitching 28. As shown in FIG URE 1, the upper stitching 26 intersects the liner stitching 20 in the center of the front of the body at a location corresponding generally to the lower edge of the top band 22.

Panels 16, 18 and 24 each have substantial stretch in a longitudinal direction so as to accommodate sitting without losing contact between the girdle and welt 12. For purposes of orientation, the double-headed arrows in FIGURES 1 and 2 indicate the transverse direction. A direction perpendicular to the double-headed arrows is to be considered a longitudinal direction.

The body includes discrete legs 30 and 32. A band 34 of stretch fabric is stitched to the inner periphery of each leg by stitching 36 and 38. Stitching 38 joins the lower edge portion of band 34 to a hem at the lower edge portion of each leg. See FIGURE 4. A band 40 of foam polymeric material such as foam rubber or foam polypropylene is joined to band 34. The band 34 forms a backing for band 40. Bands 34 and 40 may be joined in a variety of ways. While bands 34 and 40 may be joined by stitching, it is preferred to adhesively join band 40 to band 34.

The band 40 is provided with integral ribs 42 each parallel to the upper and lower edges of the band 40. Ribs 42 have fiat peaks having a width of about .031 inch. The ribs 42 may be spaced from one another by a distance between .031 and .125 inch. Band 40 and its backing 34 have substantial stretch in a transverse direction but practically no stretch in a longitudinal direction.

For purposes of illustration, transverse and longitudinal directions are to be interpreted as referred to above.

In FIGURE 5, there is shown a partial cross section of the terminal part of the leg of another girdle designated generally as 10. Girdle 10' is identical with girdle 10 eX cept as will be made clear hereinafter. Accordingly, corresponding elements are provided with corresponding primed numerals.

In girdle 10', the band 40' and its backing 34 have their upper edge portion joined to the lower edge portion of the leg 44 by means of stitching 36'. Hence, band 40' and its backing 34 form a continuation of the leg 44. Otherwise, girdle 10 and 10' are identical.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.

It is claimed:

1. A girdle which is capable of supporting hosiery without conventional garter straps comprising a body having legs, a sufiicient amount of foam polymeric material on the inside portion of said legs juxtaposed to the skin of the wearer for enabling said girdle legs to frictionally support the uppermost ends of stockings and press the 3 uppermost ends directly against the legs of the wearer whereby conventional garter straps are not necessary, said material having a stretch fabric backing and being secured approximately at the terminal portion of said girdle legs.

2. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 wherein the upper edge portion of said material and backing are stitched to the lower edge portion of each girdle leg thereby forming a continuation of the girdle legs.

3. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said backing and material are disposed inside each girdle leg with the lower edge portion thereof being stitched to the lower edge portion of each girdle leg.

4. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said material has exposed ribs parallel to each other and parallel to the upper and lower edges of the material.

5. A girdle in accordance with claim 4 wherein said ribs have generally fiat peaks with the width of the peaks being about .031 inch, and the distance between peaks being between .031 and .125 inch.

6. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said foam material is adhesively joined to said backing, said material and backing having substantial stretch in a direction parallel to the side edges thereof, but practically no stretch in a direction perpendicular to the edges thereof.

7. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 wherein said body has substantial stretch in a longitudinal direction, a reinforcement panel of stretch fabric stitched to the inner surface of the body, said panel being longer in the back than in the front.

8. A girdle in accordance with claim 1 including a reinforcement panel stitched to the inner surface of said body, said reinforcement panel being longer in the back than in the front, the lower edge of the panel in the rear being defined by a pair of curved surfaces with the crest of the curves being lower than the remainder of the curved surfaces, and the front edge of the panel being defined by a pair of curved surfaces having their crests above the remainder of the curved surfaces on the front edge of the panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,547 12/1951 Cadous 128-536 2,748,397 6/1956 Stolzenberg 2240 3,253,599 5/1966 Bjorn-Larsen 128528 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2240; l28536 

